Students show appreciation to donors
Students recently attended the Love a Donor event to write letters to alumni and other benefactors who help fund tuition and other necessary functions of the university.
Aggies for Change hosted the event and handed out coupons for free Aggie Ice Cream and also offered student clubs a chance to win $200.
“I don’t really know how else to thank these donors,” said Katelyn Bean, a junior majoring in graphic design.
Students carried tables to the International Lounge in the Taggart Student Center from the TSC Ballroom to provide an area for students to write “Thank you” letters to donors who make philanthropic investments in the university — funding university organizations and scholarships.
The student response was so great, according to Blake Nemelka, that at high points throughout the day, the 24 chairs available at the tables weren’t enough. Nemelka is the current student giving chair of Aggies for Change.
The number of letters written this year was at least double that of last year’s event, Nemelka said. Approximately 500 “Thank you” notes were written, he added.
Student letters are being sent to friends of the university as well as alumni, said Sian Smith, the student body educator for Aggies for Change.
“One of the letters I wrote is going out in a library letter to parents, because parents of current students help fund our library,” Smith said.
The group plans to read every letter and match it to a donor of the school, Smith said. For example, letters from engineering students will be sent to engineering donors, she said.
In past years, a select number of writers have had a professional picture taken and sent to a donor, along with notes showing how donors have made a very real difference in students’ lives, said Elizabeth Bare, the Aggies for Change adviser.
Daniel Carter, an undeclared freshman, said he was thankful for orientation and other student programs that were funded by donors.
“The transition coming here was made a lot easier through freshman programs that are given,” he said.
Freshman Aris Schreiber, who is majoring in computer science and music, expressed his appreciation that alumni donations made it possible for him to study at the university.
“It’s a dream to come here and learn — really learn — what I love,” he said.
Bean said she was writing her note thanking donors for making it possible to come to school to be a graphic designer. She said the event was a great outlet for student appreciation.
“It’s important to know all that alumni and donors do for us,” Smith said.
Most students don’t realize the extent of donor’s effects on the school, Nemelka said. Love a Donor Day is held Oct. 12, because it’s 16 percent of the way through the school year, which is how long students’ tuition fees will fuel the university. Student tuition only pays for 16 percent of university costs, Nemelka said.
“Today tuition runs out, and from now until May is pure donor and state money,” he said.
Love a Donor Day gets clubs involved as well. The club who had the most participants writing thank you letters won $200.
“We’ve had some mass texting going on for groups to come down,” Nemelka said. The Honors Program won the money for the second year in a row, with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity coming in a close second.
“I’m really glad that the students are getting so involved,” Bare said. “It’s been a huge success, and it reminds me how great the Aggies are. They acknowledge the fact that other people help with their education, and they’re here writing ‘Thank you’ letters.”
This is the fourth year a “thank-a-thon” has been held, she said. It is the second year Aggies for Change has hosted the event, and they seem enthusiastic about it, she said. The club is completely student run.
Aggies for Change volunteers have been hard at work designing, marketing and spreading the word through social media, Nemelka said.
The organization has given out Aggies for Change piggy banks, wallets and coin purses, as well as boxes of candy hearts encouraging students to “love a donor.”
Aggies for Change is always looking for new volunteers to help the donation process, Nemelka said. Students can find out event and meeting information on the Aggies for Change Facebook page.
“We’re trying to let students know that it looks good on grad-school resumes and on job applications, but most importantly, for your own self-fulfillment, that you gave back,” Nemelka said.
Aggies for Change will host two more events this year. Oct. 26 and 27 is the annual coin collection at which coins are collected from students’ piggy banks and wallets.
“Most students can’t afford to donate big amounts,” Nemelka said, “but change can really make a big difference.”
The proceeds from the coin collection will go to a student-run group on campus, which students will vote for on the Aggies for Change website. Last fall, the group raised $1,000 in change, which it gave to the SNAC Food Pantry.
Aggies for Change’s third event will be in the spring. It will be solicit donations from colleges that will compete against each other. The college with the most student participation will receive the famed “Philanthro-Pig” trophy, and all donations will go to each respective college. Last year’s winner was the College of Natural Resources.
– marissa.sheilds@aggiemail.usu.edu